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Take Me, Break Me by H.C. Brown

Reno Rocket, bass player for the rock band Dazed, thinks he’s on the straight and narrow but is his girlfriend just a cover for his confused sexuality? When the new lead singer, Tanner Star, walks in, Reno’s libido snaps to attention. His attraction to the famous rock star is immediate and disconcerting. Performing with Tanner every night blows Reno’s mind, and the moment Tanner grinds against him on stage, “curious” takes on a whole new meaning.

Tanner wants more than a lover. He wants a sub, and he’s willing to guide Reno into the world of BDSM. In turn, Reno wants to be everything to Tanner—lover, sub, and partner—but he fears the ghost of Tanner’s dead boyfriend will come between them.

At first they manage to find a balance and life is idyllic… until one rash action by Tanner plunges their new love affair into chaos. Will Reno admit to the world that he’s gay and face the media and his family’s wrath, or will he deny the love and exquisite attention Tanner’s world has brought him?

So what did I think?

I didn’t mind this story and quite enjoyed the book but for me the realism about the dominant/submissive relationship was lacking which would be my main criticism. I liked the characters and the setting but Tanner as the Dom just wasn’t believable.

It was interesting to watch Tanner and Reno interact at the beginning of the book. Their discussions/negotiations about their relationship seem a bit off and all over the place but I liked seeing them together.

One of the issues I had with this book was that some statements are made about the characters which conflict with other statements or actions. For example, there is a comment about Reno..“For years, he had hovered on the edge of uncertainty about his sexuality.” He actually doesn’t seem that uncertain given he doesn’t have sexual thoughts about women and is intensely turned on by gay BDSM porn. And he’s quite comfortable with the concept of submission for a man who’s not sure of his sexuality.

Somehow there was a lack of believeability – when Reno first used the word “Master” it just seemed strange.I just didn’t find Tanner’s behaviour very dominant, maybe a bit of a case of talking the talk but not following through.

Overall, this was nice story with some hot sex but didn’t really deliver in terms of the BDSM relationship.